You have probably noticed the difference between how young dogs interact with each other and how older, more mature dogs act around each other. You have likely experienced this in human behavior, too. Younger dogs (and people) haven’t yet learned the proper social skills to be considered polite. They’ll jump on each other, nip and bark at each other. You may often see a younger dog grab and tug on an older dog’s leg.
Often, when an older dog is presented with a group of younger dogs, you will see him start to get angry and frustrated by the behaviors of those younger dogs. This is because even the dog sees how untrained and impolite these younger dogs are. Having an older dog in a group, however, can help to teach these other dogs the right social skills. Dogs may not have the exact same pack mentality as wolves, but they do understand the hierarchy of age, and an authoritative older dog can be a great tool for teaching younger dogs how they should act around other dogs and people.
It is important to know when you should get involved with the dogs and when you should let the dogs sort out arguments between themselves. When I was growing up, we had an old, grumpy blue heeler for nearly eight years before we introduced a new puppy into the house. Her energy was (and even still is now) limitless. Even when she was small, she loved to jump up and grab the ears or grab the back legs of the blue heeler. Sometimes, he would just let her do it, but we often saw him scold her when she had stepped beyond cute puppy roughhousing and was actually annoying or hurting him.
Older, calmer dogs will naturally set limits for younger dogs. As an owner, you can learn to watch for the body language that signals an oncoming lesson for one of the younger dogs. Of course, you do not want to let your older, more established dogs bully your younger dogs, but you can allow them to provided correction when a younger dog is being rude. This only works, of course, if your order dog is willing to make those corrections.
Some older dogs are simply passive and they will not provide the correction you were hoping for. You might find your younger dog or dogs pushing your older dog around. In this situation, you should step in as early as possible, as younger dogs can learn to become bullies if they are not corrected when they are being rude.
Start looking for your older dog’s signs of annoyance. This is a good indicator that he is about to snap at one of the younger dogs. In this situation, you can redirect the younger dog’s attention, so they learn to associate that dog’s frustrated behavior with a change of behavior in themselves.
It is a good idea to limit rambunctious play, especially if your dog is not just an adult, but entering his senior years. Too active play could be dangerous for an older dog who doesn’t have the energy or stability that he once did. Don’t forget to provide some separation if you notice your older dog getting too aggravated or grumpy during play time.
He should have some fun, too! He shouldn’t just have to spend his entire day correcting younger dogs.
